Where is the ICHREPA conference being held?

The ICHREPA conference is being held in Marrakesh, MAR.

What is the format of the ICHREPA conference?

The ICHREPA conference is an in-person event, taking place in Marrakesh, MAR.

International Conference on Human Rights Education and Peace Advocacy (ICHREPA)

Name: International Conference on Human Rights Education and Peace Advocacy (ICHREPA)
Start: 2026-08-22T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-08-23T00:00:00Z
Location: Marrakesh

Aug 22–23, 2026Marrakesh, MoroccoIn-person

Starts in 14 daysRegistration open

The International Conference on Human Rights Education and Peace Advocacy (ICHREPA) is a significant event dedicated to fostering dialogue and collaboration on critical issues at the intersection of human rights and peace. Hosted in Marrakesh, MAR, the conference brings together scholars, practitioners, and advocates from around the world. Its core objective is to explore innovative approaches to human rights education and effective strategies for peace advocacy, recognizing their fundamental role in building stable and just societies.

Committees & topics

Topics
Human Rights Education · Peace Advocacy · Innovative Approaches to Human Rights Education · Conflict Resolution Strategies in Human Rights Advocacy · The Role of Civil Society in Promoting Social Justice · Global Citizenship and Human Rights: A New Paradigm · Humanitarian Law and its Implications for Peacebuilding · Education for Peace: Strategies and Best Practices

Why it matters

In an increasingly interconnected world, the promotion of human rights and the pursuit of peace are inextricably linked. Conflicts and human rights abuses often stem from a lack of understanding, tolerance, and respect for fundamental dignities. Education plays a pivotal role in cultivating these values, empowering individuals to advocate for their rights and those of others, and building resilient communities capable of resolving disputes peacefully. The ICHREPA provides a crucial forum for advancing these discussions.

The conference's focus on human rights education is particularly vital. By equipping individuals with knowledge of their rights and responsibilities, education serves as a powerful tool for preventing abuses and promoting social justice. Similarly, effective peace advocacy is essential for transforming conflicts and fostering sustainable peace. The discussions and collaborations at ICHREPA contribute directly to strengthening these pillars globally, with a particular emphasis on the context of its host city, Marrakesh, MAR.

How to prepare

Delegates preparing for ICHREPA should consider the complex interplay between human rights education and peace advocacy. A strong understanding of various engagement strategies will be beneficial for participating in discussions and contributing to proposed solutions. Participants should also prepare to engage with diverse perspectives, recognizing that approaches to human rights and peace can vary significantly across different cultural and political contexts.

Analyzing the roles of various actors, including hidden stakeholders, in both human rights protection and peacebuilding efforts will enhance a delegate's contribution. Understanding how to conduct a Stakeholder Mapping Workshop can provide valuable insights into identifying key influencers and affected communities. Furthermore, delegates should be prepared to apply dynamic analysis to current global and regional challenges, considering how education can be leveraged to address emerging human rights concerns and promote peaceful resolutions.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 1 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Morocco

As the host nation, MAR is committed to fostering dialogue on human rights and peace, reflecting its own efforts in regional stability and human development.

Role in topic

MAR provides a significant platform for this international conference, showcasing its commitment to human rights education and peace advocacy within the African continent and beyond. Its historical and cultural context offers a unique backdrop for discussions on these global issues.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Human Rights Education

Human rights education (HRE) emerged as a distinct field after the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which called on states to promote rights 'by teaching and education.' The concept was formalized through the UN Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004) and the 2011 UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, which established that HRE encompasses education about, through, and for human rights. UNESCO and OHCHR co-lead the World Programme for Human Rights Education, now in its fourth phase (2025-2029), focused on youth. Despite this normative architecture, implementation remains uneven. Many states lack integrated HRE in national curricula, and in some jurisdictions civic education has been narrowed or politicized. Authoritarian backsliding, restrictions on civil society, and the rise of disinformation have made HRE both more necessary and more contested. Debates today center on curriculum standards, teacher training, monitoring mechanisms, and the role of non-formal education delivered by NGOs.

Key players

Peace Advocacy

Peace advocacy traces its modern institutional roots to the post-World War II creation of the United Nations, whose Charter committed members to 'save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.' The 1999 UN Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, followed by the Sustaining Peace agenda (Resolutions 70/262 and 2282 of 2016), reframed peace from a post-conflict goal into a continuous effort requiring prevention, mediation, and inclusive participation. Civil society movements, faith-based actors, and youth networks have become central to this work, alongside state diplomacy. Today, peace advocacy operates against a backdrop of rising state-based conflicts, deadlocked Security Council action on Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and the Sahel, and shrinking civic space for peace activists in many countries. The UN Peacebuilding Commission, regional organizations, and Track II diplomacy networks are increasingly relied upon to fill gaps. Debate centers on financing for prevention, the inclusion of women and youth under UNSCR 1325 and 2250, and how to protect human rights defenders engaged in peace work.

Key players

Innovative Approaches to Human Rights Education

As traditional classroom-based HRE has struggled to reach marginalized populations and adapt to digital environments, educators and UN agencies have experimented with new modalities since the early 2010s. UNESCO's Global Citizenship Education framework, OHCHR's online HRE platforms, and initiatives like the Council of Europe's Compass manual have promoted experiential, rights-based pedagogies. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift to digital tools, while social media has emerged as both a vector for rights awareness and for disinformation. Current innovation focuses on virtual reality simulations of refugee experiences, gamified curricula, peer-led learning, AI-assisted translation of materials into minority languages, and community radio in conflict-affected areas. Challenges include the digital divide, surveillance risks for learners in authoritarian contexts, algorithmic bias in AI tools, and ensuring that innovation does not dilute the substantive content of international human rights law. Debate centers on quality standards, data protection for learners, and equitable access.

Key players

Conflict Resolution Strategies in Human Rights Advocacy

Human rights advocacy and conflict resolution were long treated as separate fields—the former emphasizing accountability and the latter compromise. Since the 1990s, however, practitioners have recognized that durable peace requires addressing rights violations as root causes, while accountability processes themselves can inflame conflict if poorly sequenced. The 'peace versus justice' debate sharpened around the ICC's involvement in Uganda, Sudan, and Colombia, and around amnesty provisions in negotiated settlements. Contemporary practice integrates mediation, transitional justice, truth commissions, reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence, drawing on the UN Secretary-General's 2010 Guidance Note on Transitional Justice and the 2023 update. Strategies include human rights-based mediation, early warning through OHCHR monitoring, strategic litigation, and shuttle diplomacy by civil society. Open questions concern engaging armed non-state actors, the role of universal jurisdiction, and how to protect defenders who serve as informal mediators.

Key players

Global Citizenship and Human Rights: A New Paradigm

The concept of global citizenship gained policy traction with the UN Secretary-General's 2012 Global Education First Initiative and was embedded in Sustainable Development Goal target 4.7, which calls for learners to acquire knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development, human rights, and a culture of peace. UNESCO's Global Citizenship Education (GCED) framework operationalizes this through cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral learning domains. The paradigm seeks to complement national citizenship with awareness of transnational rights and responsibilities. The approach has drawn criticism from states wary of perceived dilution of national identity, and from scholars who note tensions between universalist framings and local cultural contexts. Recent debates focus on climate justice as a global citizenship issue, the digital dimension of transnational solidarity, and migration. The 2024 Pact for the Future reaffirmed commitments to GCED, but financing remains thin and integration into national curricula uneven, particularly outside OECD states.

Key players

Humanitarian Law and its Implications for Peacebuilding

International humanitarian law (IHL), codified in the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, regulates the conduct of armed conflict and protects civilians, the wounded, and detainees. The ICRC serves as guardian of IHL, while accountability mechanisms include the ICC, ad hoc tribunals, and universal jurisdiction. Since the 1990s, the relationship between IHL compliance and post-conflict peacebuilding has become central: violations such as attacks on civilians, sexual violence, and destruction of infrastructure both prolong conflicts and complicate reconstruction and reconciliation. Current conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, and the eastern DRC have exposed serious gaps in IHL enforcement, including attacks on hospitals, schools, and humanitarian workers—2023 and 2024 were the deadliest years on record for aid personnel. Debates concern the regulation of autonomous weapons, siege warfare, urban combat, and starvation as a method of war (UNSCR 2417). Peacebuilders increasingly argue that explicit IHL benchmarks in ceasefires and peace agreements improve durability, though enforcement depends on political will.

Key players

Education for Peace: Strategies and Best Practices

Peace education traces its modern lineage to post-WWII efforts by UNESCO, whose constitution declares that 'since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.' The 1974 UNESCO Recommendation on Education for International Understanding, the 1999 Declaration on a Culture of Peace, and SDG target 4.7 form the principal normative anchors. Approaches range from formal curricula on conflict resolution and tolerance to non-formal programs run by NGOs in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Evidence from contexts such as Northern Ireland's integrated schools, Rwanda's post-genocide civic education, Colombia's Cátedra de la Paz, and Lebanon's coexistence programs suggests peace education can reduce prejudice and support reconciliation, though impact depends on sustained delivery, teacher capacity, and political backing. Current challenges include politicized textbooks, education under attack in active conflicts (per the Safe Schools Declaration), and integrating digital literacy to counter hate speech and incitement. Debate centers on funding, monitoring outcomes, and adapting models across cultural contexts.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for International Conference on Human Rights Education and Peace Advocacy (ICHREPA).

Recent reporting to ground your prep

Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026

Trump's Federal Election Strategy

Supreme Court VRA Ruling Empowers GOP 2026

Pakistan-Linked Terror Network in Karnataka

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Engagement Strategies

Hidden Stakeholders

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Conflict Resolution

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Morocco August 2026

By committee

Frequently asked questions

International Conference on Human Rights Education and Peace Advocacy (ICHREPA)

Aug 22–23, 2026Marrakesh, MoroccoIn-person

Starts in 14 daysRegistration open

Committees & topics

Topics
Human Rights Education · Peace Advocacy · Innovative Approaches to Human Rights Education · Conflict Resolution Strategies in Human Rights Advocacy · The Role of Civil Society in Promoting Social Justice · Global Citizenship and Human Rights: A New Paradigm · Humanitarian Law and its Implications for Peacebuilding · Education for Peace: Strategies and Best Practices

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 1 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Morocco

As the host nation, MAR is committed to fostering dialogue on human rights and peace, reflecting its own efforts in regional stability and human development.

Role in topic

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Human Rights Education

Key players

Peace Advocacy

Key players

Innovative Approaches to Human Rights Education

Key players

Conflict Resolution Strategies in Human Rights Advocacy

Key players

Global Citizenship and Human Rights: A New Paradigm

Key players

Humanitarian Law and its Implications for Peacebuilding

Key players

Education for Peace: Strategies and Best Practices

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for International Conference on Human Rights Education and Peace Advocacy (ICHREPA).

Recent reporting to ground your prep

Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026

Trump's Federal Election Strategy

Supreme Court VRA Ruling Empowers GOP 2026

Pakistan-Linked Terror Network in Karnataka

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Engagement Strategies

Hidden Stakeholders

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Conflict Resolution

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Morocco August 2026

By committee

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

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10th African Peace and Security Annual Conference (APSACO) 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

2nd Ministerial Conference on Peacekeeping in Francophone Environments

10th African Peace and Security Annual Conference (APSACO) 2026

International Conference on Global Crises, Public Policy, and Poverty (ICGCPP) 2026

International Conference on International Law, Global Security, and Human Rights

International Conference on International Law and Sustainable Development

International Conference on Comparative Politics and Historical Analysis (ICCPHA-2026)

Frequently asked questions